“This is extremely disappointing news for RTÉ. We have a long and proud tradition of showcasing the 6 Nations and putting our heart and soul into our coverage.

We want to assure the Irish public that every possible effort was made by RTÉ to retain these rights. As a public service broadcaster, RTÉ’s ambition has always been, and continues to be, to deliver the best possible viewer experience and to share moments of major national importance.

We put forward the best possible bid within our means, while always mindful of the significant responsibilities attached to spending public funds.”

Although the GAA hierarchy has sought to portray the deal with Sky as a success and consider the reaction of people in Britain to be ‘a vindication’, the reality is, at best, much more complex – and one might legitimately arrive at entirely the opposite conclusion. After all, what we now know is:

Viewing figures for showcase GAA games in Ireland collapsed; The supposed new service for Irish emigrants in Britain, not only already existed, but did so in a more extensive way; Irish emigrants wishing to watch Gaelic games in Britain must now pay much more than was previously the case; The part of the deal which allowed the broadcast of matches on TV in Australia no longer exists and there is no plan – in any real sense of that word – for internationalisation.

Would the public take to a soap based around a busy Dublin Garda station in a fictional coastal town starring hot people?

In their droves apparently.

[Irish-made TV3 soap] Red Rock burst onto our screens on Wednesday evening with an average audience of 323,200 viewers.
The first instalment of the garda drama reached a peak figure of 371,100.
The soap pipped long running UK offering Emmerdale to the post – the show pulled in an average of 325,000 viewers.

Fair City was the most watched soap in Ireland last night with an average audience of 569,000 (36%) Irish soap fans tuning in to watch last night’s episode. Fair City had a reach** audience of 735,700 while an additional 31,400 TV viewers watched the episode on RTÉ One+1. 10,057 caught up on the Carrigstown action on RTÉ Player. Fair City was also the second most watched programme among 15 – 34s (24%) after Operation Transformation.

Tonight sees TV3s new drama Red Rock air it’s first look at the programme via a “feature length TV ad” tonight on TV3 at 7.40pm. This will be the first look at TV3s new drama. In all fairness, I can only wish them well with it! Anything is better than Corrie :)

“The Competition Authority must urgently review the extent of Mr O’Brien’s influence in newsprint, digital and radio. It needs to assess how that would be affected by a deal with TV3 in the areas of advertising and talent-sharing. The Competition Authority should seek to determine whether INM and Communicorp have engaged in any joint selling of advertising involving their respective platforms and the value of any such transactions.”

“That there is already co-operation between INM and Communicorp is not in doubt. In addition to scratching each other’s back on editorial matters there is also a growing trend for “contra” advertising. In 2012 INM received the equivalent of €500,000 in advertising from Communicorp and those stations received the same amount in return.”

“Last year those respective figures had increased to €1m. The authority also needs to find out what business arrangements, if any, exist between Mr O’Brien’s Topaz Energy, the country’s biggest oil and convenience brand with 330 stations, and INM’s newspaper titles.”

From an editorial in yesterday’s Sunday Times, further to the news that TV3 is planning to form a partnership with Communicorp, the radio group owned by Denis O’Brien.